Generations
What are Generations? Among vampires, the notion of Generation is a concept that describes how distant one is from the First Vampire. When a Kindred Embraces, her childe rises from death one Generation higher than she — one more Generation removed from Caine. The most widely acknowledged version of the Book of Nod claims the number of Second Generation Kindred is three. The Clan founders comprised the Third Generation, their progeny became the Fourth Generation, their childer became the Fifth Generation, and so on and so forth up through the distant Thirteenth Generation prevalent in the modern nights. Generation determines a great deal about Kindred potential. Mastery of certain Disciplines relies upon a certain threshold of Generation, for example, as does the ability to store vast quantities of blood within the vampire’s body. Some ancient Kindred need to feed only when the desire takes them, so great are their reserves of vitae. Antediluvians The Antediluvians are perhaps the most powerful creatures on earth. They are ancient, powerful and, if they exist at all, are members of the 3rd Generation, two steps removed from the father of all Kindred himself. When Antediluvians rise from their dark slumber, countries will tremble. According to ancient texts, their powers are almost godlike, there is barely any recorded history on the 13 Antediluvians who were the forefathers of the 13 Clans known today. When these terrible and powerful ancients rise then Gehenna will surely follow. Their eternal struggle, that which all Kindred call the Jyhad, is their complex, layer upon layer of machinations and power plays. It is almost impossible to detect their games and every Kindred, whether they know it or not, is touched in some way by these monstrous creatures. Methuselah If the Antediluvians are the gods of the Kindred, then the Methuselahs are the Demi-gods and avatars. These Kindred are from the 4th & 5th Generation and very probably knew, spoke to and interacted with their Antediluvian Sires. At the point between a Vampire's one thousandth and two thousandth year a grave change overtakes the Kindred. Sometimes the change is physical, other times it is mental or emotional. Whatever the result of this change, what is certain is that the Kindred no longer bears any resemblance of humanity. Having truly moved on from the earthly into the realm of the Supernatural. The Methuselah will often return to the ground to slumber away, hidden from the thirsty fangs of the younger Kindred. Their powers, are so great however, that they can still continue to direct their inscrutable plans mentally, communicating magically or telepathically, (but almost always invisibly) with their minions. Kindred greatly fear the Methuselahs, who are accorded any number of horrific characteristics. Rumours range from those whose skin has turned to stone, to hideous disfigurements, to unearthly beauty that cannot be looked upon. Some are believed to only drink Vampire blood, whilst others control the fates of entire nations from their cold tombs. Elder Elders are the Kindred who have lived for hundreds of years and more often than not are from the 6th to the 8th Generations. With their terrible cunning and thirst for power, Elders are the more physically active of the Jyhad. They do not suffer the long fits of the Torpor like the Antediluvians or the Methuselah, nor are they powerless or easily manipulated like the younger generations of Kindred, indeed more often than not, it is an Elder that is pulling the strings of the younger Kindred to get what they want. The Elders are the Kindred permitted to Embrace a mortal into the world of the Kindred, if a younger Kindred wishes to do so, they must first seek the permission of the Elder, and must usually have a pretty good reason why. To sire a Kindred without the permission of the Elder leads to the destruction of the Embraced and punishment to the Kindred who did the Embrace. The term Elder is a bit subjective and depends on where you originate from. For example, an Elder in the Americas may just be an Ancilla in Europe or older corners of the Earth. Elders keep a stranglehold on the Kindred power structure, preventing the younger Kindred from positions of power and influence that they have maintained for decades if not centuries. Ancillae Ancillae are the relatively young Kindred, usually between one and two hundred years of life and have proven themselves to their Elder and useful to Kindred Society in general. Ancillae are the lackeys to the older Kindred and, assuming they are cunning enough and live long enough, are the future Elders of the Kindred. Ancillae is the rank between Neonate and Elder, showing that the Kindred has cut their teeth, so to speak, but lacks the age and the power to fully participate in the Jyhad. The Ancillae are usually 8th to the 10th Generations. Neonates Neonates vary from newly released Fledglings to indolent Kindred of a century or more. Marked by the stigma of not yet having proven themselves to the Elders, Neonates are inexperienced vampires, that's not to say they won't go on to prove themselves to their Sire and other Elder, but they are also just as likely to fall as pawns in the greater games of their elders. Neonates tend to be 10th to 11th Generations. Fledgling A fledgling is a newly-Embraced vampire who has not yet been introduced to Kindred society and formally emancipated from her sire.. To this end, a sire is responsible for the actions of his childe until he deems her able enough to handle Cainite culture on her own. They are usually the 13th Generation,. Some Clans shelter their fledglings for years or decades, like the Tremere, while others, like many Gangrel and Brujah, figure that once you’re a vampire, you’re on your own — tough shit if you can’t hack it. NOTE: Thin-Bloods are not available as playable characters, and may only be used as an NPC. Players cannot go above the 13th generation. Thin Bloods The 14th & 15th Generations of vampires, more commonly known as the “generation of thin-blood”, occupy a very precarious position in Kindred society. By most they are treated as unwelcome evidence that Caine’s potent blood is diluting down the line, to others they are a terrifying herald of Gehenna, as the Book of Nod declares that when the age of thin-blood comes, so too shall the reckoning of Caine. As a result, these younger vampires find themselves ostracized by every vampire sect. The Camarilla - who supposedly pays no heed to the myth of Caine or Gehenna - have covertly installed the position of Scourge across many of their domains, deadly vampires whose only task is to hunt down and either evict or destroy Thin-Bloods and Caitiff. Likewise, the Sabbat sneer and will usually hunt any Thin-blood they come across, declaring them to be weaker vampires. In addition, most thin-bloods are lucky to even have any idea of what they truly are. Most are abandoned by their sires once their nature becomes known, for no pure vampire will want to be associated with them. But what is a thin-blood in practical terms? Reports and rumour differ, but the general observation is that these members of the youngest generations do not manifest many of the traits associated with unlife. While they can and do drink blood for sustenance, some are said to be capable of consuming human food. A few have been noted to survive the sun’s glare. Most, though exceptions exist, cannot wield disciplines, and even those who do never reach the level of power even a 13th Generation vampire does. Very few of the 14th generation can perform the Embrace and none of the 15th can. A few have even been rumoured to have reproduced in the human fashion, which should be impossible for a truly undead creature. Ghouls Not a vampire, but rather a thrall of a vampire. Ghouls are "slavishly devoted servants".